End Of An Odyssey

J. S. Bach Cantatas, Vol 54. Performers Bach Collegium Japan directed by Masaaki Suzuki. soloists Hana Blazikova soprano, Damien Guillon conter-tenor, Gerd Turk tenor, Peter Kooij bass. Another sample from this series as it draws to a close.

Maverick ? Mystic ? Last Symphonist ?

Schnittke : Symphony Mo 2 " St Florian" Performers : Russian State Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Cappella conducted by Valery Polyansky. Marina Katsman contralto, Yaroslav Zdorov countertenor, Oleg Dolgov tenor, Sergei Veprintsev bass, Ludmila Golub organ. Various serendipitous circumstances led to a period of Schnittke investigation including this sample purchase.

Good Natured Classicism

Weber : Symphonies Nos 1 and 2, Bassoon Concerto, Invitation to the Dance ( orchestrated by Berlioz ) Performers : BBC Philharmonic conducted by Juanjo Mena. Soloist, Karen Geoghegan bassoon. Last of the pure classicists and first with German opera ?

Fiendishly Good

Martha Velez : Fiends and Angels. How come Janis Joplin got all that attention while Martha Velez did not ? Oh well, at least Martha got this album from 1969 with an amazing line up of British blues aristocracy. Guitarist alone number Eric Clapton, Stan Webb, Paul Kossof and Spit James while other luminaries feature such as Brian Auger, Christine McVie, Duster Bennett, Mitch Mitchell, Jack Bruce, Blue Weaver and Johnny Almond. And it all works too with a judicious choice of material.

The Anatomy Of Melancholy

John Dowland, Lachrimae or Seaven Teares. Performers : The Parley of Instruments directed by Peter Holman and augmented by Paul O'Dette lute. One of those discs maybe better sampled in a couple of sessions rather than in one go ?

Dog's Breakfast

A dismal offering from the free BBC Music magazine cover disc, reinforcing my decision to cancel my regular subscription. A scratchy version of Bach's partita number 3 for solo violin from Yehudi Menuhin in 1976 followed by Tasmin Little with a routine play through of Bruch's first violin concerto ( yawn ) with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by David Atherton. There is then an encore piece from her of Souvenir d'un lieu cher by Tchaikovsky, followed by vintage Nathan Milstein playing short inconsequential pieces from De Falla and Paganini in 1957.

Hanseatic Baroque

Hoffnung des Wiedersehens : Telemann Arias : Dorothee Mields soprano, L'Orfeo Barockorchester conducted by Michi Gaigg. Insertion arias, secular cantatas and concertos ( featuring Martin Jopp violin and Carin Van Heerden oboe )

Birds Of Japan

Takashi Yoshimatsu : The Age Of Birds for orchestra, Cello Concerto "Centaurus Unit", Chikap for orchestra. Performers : BBC Philharmonic conducted by Sachio Fujiola, leader Yuri Torchinsky, cello soloist Peter Dixon. Japanese composer fascinated by birdsong and thus producing a sound world somewhere between Messaien and Takemitsu.

Going Down Her Own Path

Dobrinka Tabakova : String Paths London based Bulgarian composer. Apparent influences from Part, folk and contemporary jazz but a distinctive personal voice too. Tailor made for the ECM stable. Insight : Roman Mints violin. Maxim Rysanov, viola, Kristina Blaumane cello. Concerto for cello and strings : Kristina Blaumane cello, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra conducted by Maxim Rysanov. Frozen River Flows : Roman Mints violin, Raimondas Sviackevicius accordion, Donatas Bagurskas double bass. Suite in Old style : Maxim Rysanov viola and conductor, Vaiva Eidukaityte-Storastiene harpsichord, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra. Such Different Paths : Janine Jansen, Julia-Maria Kretz violins, Amihai Grosz, Maxim Rysanov violas, Torleif Thedeen, Boris Andrianov cellos, Stacey Watton double bass.

Falling Between Two Schools

Franz Schmidt Symphony No 4 and Variations on a Hussar's Song. Performers : Malmo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vassily Sinaisky. A fine symphony from the first half of the 20th century with a Mahlerian feel despite reported animosity between the two men. The Variations are more lightweight and disposable. Not really full blooded Straussian late romanticism but certainly not Second Viennese School either. A case of one and a half ?

The Art Of Transcription

Bach Concertos : Viktoria Mullova violin, Accademia Bizantina directed by Ottavio Dantone. Violin concerto in E and violin concerto in A minor plus transcriptions for violin of a harpsichord concerto and for violin and harpsichord of a concerto for two harpsichords. Very much in Bach's own tradition of trnascription and they work well.

All Requiem'd Out

BBC Music magazine has gone overboard with requiem's this year with the current free cover disc being the third such work to feature in 2013. This time it is another anniversary connection with Verdi's Requiem Mass. A work I do not otherwise have, for the simple reason that I have never particularly wanted it. This is a live recording from a 1988 prom. Performers : Bach Choir ( chorus master Sir David Willcocks ), BBC Symphony Chorus ( chorus master Gareth Morrell ), London Philharmonic Choir ( chorus master Richard Cooke ), BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir John Pritchard. Soloists Julia Varady soprano, Dolora Zajick mezzo-soprano, Dennis O'Neill tenor and Evgeny Nesterenko bass. After many years of subscribing, I think I am coming to the end of my regular purchases of BBC Music with the cover discs on the whole becoming less interesting and the magazine itself gradually following Radio 3 down market.

The Ego Has landed

BBC Music magazine latest free cover disc featuring a solo piano recital from Vladimir Horowitz from May 1982 at the Royal Festival Hall in London, his first European concert for over 30 years. The kind of concert where the performer is more important than the music and not really to my taste. The pieces featured : four short Scarlatti sonatas, Kinderszenen by Schumann, Ballade No 1 and Waltz in A flat by Chopin, Rachmaninov Sonata no 2 and Polka de V.R. and a Scriabin Etude.

Top Of The Range

Schubert Arpeggione Sonata, Schumann Funf Stucke Im Volkston and Debussy Cello Sonata. Performers Mstislav Rostropovich cello and Benjamin Britten piano. Truly inspired chamber playing with everything placed at the service of the music.

Tip Top

Tippett, Symphony No 2 and Suite From New Year. Performers : Bournemouth Symphony Orchetra conducted by Richard Hickox. Distinctive and intriguing symphony. Jazz rock / prog rock influence detectable in the suite.

Giddy Up

Sing A Song Of Basie + Sing Along With Basie by Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. Two vinyl LP releases on one disc. The epitome of jazz scat singing transformed into something even more special by the lyrics of Jon Hendricks which fit the arrangements like a glove.

Massive Mass

Berlioz Grande Messe Des Morts. London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, London Philharmonic Choir, Barry Banks tenor soloist, conducted by Sir Colin Davis. Difficult to balance huge forces in a live performance in such a spacious acoustic as St Paul's cathedral but in what turned out to be his final recording, Davis holds it together.

No Ordinary Word

Squeezing Out Sparks by Graham Parker and the Rumour. The final one of the first quartet of GP albums and the final one featuring the Rumour in its entirety ( prior to the recent reunion )Bonus track Mercury Poisoning probably explains why the collaboration ended at this point ( record company incompetance ) But a high note to go out on.

A Bunch Of Fives

Latest BBC Music magazine free cover cd, featuring Nielsen's Symphony No 5 and Sibelius's Symphony No 5. I have the Nielsen already but the fifth is one Sibelius symphony that I did not otherwise have. Performers : BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Thomas Sondergard.

Look At Those Cavemen Go

Hunky Dory by David Bowie. Precursor to Ziggy Stardust, arguably with better songs, and showcasing the arranging talents of Mick Ronson. Classics like Changes, Life On Mars, Oh You Pretty Things, Andy Warhol and Queen Bitch alongside forgotten gems like Quicksand and the Bewlay Brothers and a few throwaways.

What's The Connection ?

This year's special Proms edition of BBC Music magazine for some reason pairs Beethoven's First Piano Concerto with Holst's The Planets. Apart from the fact that these recordings were both made live at previous proms, there is little obvious connection between the works, despite a laboured attempt in the booklet notes. Performers : BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jiri Belohlavek, soloist Paul Lewis piano ( Beethoven )and BBC Symphony Orchestra and London Choral Society conducted by Sir Adrian Boult ( Holst ).

Mischievous Coupling ?

This month's BBC Music magazine is a Wagner anniversary issue. Unlike Radio 3 and this year's Proms, the free cover disc does not go over the top and just has the Act 1 Prelude from Parsifal played by the BBC Scottish SO conducted by Andrew Litton. The main work on the disc is ( mischievously given their rivalry ? ) Brahms's German Requiem. I don't otherwise have a recording of this and so am pleased to have it. Performers here are again the BBC Scottish SO, this time conducted by Donald Runnicles with the Edinburgh Festival chorus and soloists Lisa Milne soprano and Markus Bruck baritone.

Should Be More Widely Known

Goffredo Petrassi, Magnificat and Salmo IX. Performers : Orchestra Teatro Regio Torino and Coro Teatro Regio Torino conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. Soloist Sabina Cvilak soprano. Superb neglected mid 20th century repertoire. Now needs some concert performances.

Back From The Dead

Biber, Missa Christi Resurgentis Resurrection mass interspersed with various ensemble sonatas. Performers : The English Concert and The Choir of the English Concert conducted by Andrew Manze.

Seasonal Nights

Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night's Dream and The First Walpurgis Night. Performers : Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Arnold Schoenberg Choir directed by Erwin Ortner. Soloists Pamela Coburn soprano, Elisabeth von Magnus mezzo soprano and narrator, Christoph Banzer narrator ( Midsummer ) Birgit Remmert mezzo-soprano, Uwe Heilmann tenor, Thomas Hampson baritone, Rene Pape bass ( Walpurgis )

A French Classicist

Etienne Nicolas Mehul Symphony No 1 and Symphony No 2. Performers : Les Musiciens Du Louvre conducted by Marc Minkowski. Late Mozart / early Beethoven, though developed largely independently.

Spotlighting The Disciples

Elgar, The Apostles. Performers : Halle Orchestra conducted by Sir Mark Elder, Chorus of Apostles, Halle Choir, Halle Youth Choir ( directors Frances Cook, Richard Wilberforce ). Soloists Rebecca Evans soprano, Alice Coote mezzo-soprano, Paul Groves tenor, Jacques Imbrailo baritone, David Kempster baritone, Brindley Sherratt bass.

Play Misty For Me

Leos Janacek Piano Music. Piano Sonata 1.X.1905, On An Overgrown Path, In the Mist. Performer : Charles Owen, piano.

The Last Word

Pergolesi, Septum Verba a Christo. Performers : Akademie Fur Alte Musik Berlin conducted by Rene Jacobs. Soloists Sophie Karthauser soprano, Christophe Dumaux counter tenor, Julien Behr tenor, Konstantin Wolff bass.

Swedish Pastoral ?

Kurt Atterberg Symphony No 6 Dollar Symphony, Symphony No 4 Sinfonia Piccola, Suite No 3, En Varnlandsrapsodi. Performers Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Neeme Jarvi. Soloists Sara Troback Hesselink violin, Per Hogberg viola. Swedish folk sources detectable but also an oddly Spanish feel at times.

It's All In The Bass

Rodion Shchedrin, The Sealed Angel. Choral music after Nikolai Leskov for for mixed choir acapella with reed flute in the Church Slavonic language. Soloists, Alexander Golrshev flute, Lolita Semenina soprano, Natalia Belova soprano, Tatiana Zhdanova mezzo soprano, Andrei Azovskr descant, Alexander Illarianov alto, Alexei Alexerev tenor ( but the real strars are those Russian basses ! ) The USSR State Academic Choir, The Moscow Chamber Choir. Choir masters Vladimir Urman, Ludmila Urman, Tatian Kurpokova. Conductor Vladimir Minin.

Search the World

Heat Treatment, Graham Parker and the Rumour. Despite Parker's own reservations about over production and the hurried thrown together nature of three of the songs, this remains a quality album with plenty to recommend it. And then of course there is Fool's Gold. Keep on searching.

Don't Ask Me Mate

Howlin' Wind, Graham Parker and the Rumour. Continuing my re-acquaintance with Camberley's finest, this was the debut album and a very fine soulful way to announce oneself. Includes the anthemic Don't Ask Me Questions.

New Generation Chamber Music

Excellent free cover disc this month from BBC Music. No special tie in with any event but featuring ex BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists. Schubert Piano Sonata in A D959, Francesco Piemontesi piano Mozart String Quintet in G minor K516, Elias String Quartet plus Malin Broman viola.

Camberley's Finest

Graham Parker and the Rumour : Stick To Me Thanks to the recent BBC4 documentary for reminding me of maybe my favourite band from back in the day. Will pick up a few of the old albums but began with the problem child, Stick To Me, since it appears to be out of print and one copy was available at a normal price from a reseller as opposed to paying mega bucks. A "problem" album because the master tapes were wrecked during remixing and it had to be hurriedly re-recorded without the production values and added musicians of the original. But without that knowledge of what might have been, it still holds up as a fine album with some great songs.

He Who Would Valiant Be

Pilgrim's Progress by Vaughan Williams Performers : London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Boult with full cast of soloists headed by baritone John Noble playing "Pilgrim". I saw the 2012 production at ENO which coped very well with the question of "is it an opera or is it an oratorio?" Though this does undoubtedly pose problems on stage, on disc it works in the piece's favour and makes a rewarding listening experience without missing the stage action.

Finding His Polish Voice

Szymanowski : Symphony No 2, Symphony No 4 "Symphonie Concertante", Concert Overture. Performers : BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Edward Gardner, Louis Lortie piano. Very ( Richard ) Straussian overture and second symphony, then Szymanowski found his own voice and the fourth symphony ( almost a piano concerto ) is the stand out work here.

Classical Brazil

Brasileiro : Villa-Lobos and Friends. Performer Nelson Friere, piano. Friere championing the music of his homeland. Villa-Lobos is clearly the dominant and most accomplished composer featured but there are characterful pieces by lesser known names Guarnieri, Oswald, Levy, Netto, Fernandez, Santoro and Mignone. These provide native colour to go alongside the Debussy / Ravel influence displayed frequently by Villa-Lobos.

Voice Of The cello

Britten Cello Symphony, Cello Sonata and Cello Suites. Performers : Alban Gerhardt cello, Steven Osborne, piano. BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Manze. Late Britten from when he had more or less stopped composing purely instrumental music except at the behest of Rostropovich. Gerhardt does not suffer at all by comparison.

Byzantium To Ottoman

La Sublime Porte - Voix D'Istanbul - 1430-1750 Performers Hesperion XXI directed by Jordi Savall. Another of Jordi Savall's investigations of various Mediterranean traditions and cultures with musicians from Armenia, Bulgaria, Spain, France, Greece, Israel, Morocco and Turkey.

Period Baroquery

Girolamo Frescobaldi Toccatas and Partitas. Performer : Fabio Bonozzoni Harpsichord / organ. A double cd set, two thirds of which is on harpsichord. The organ pieces being recorded on location on a barqoque organ in Mantova Italy.

Trawling The Archives

This time around, the BBC Music magazine free cover disc is an archive recording from the 1972 Proms of Vaughan Williams's Symphony No 6 by the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Boult. The coupling is a recent performance of The Sea by Frank Bridge by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Martyn Brabbins.

Canadian Baroquery

Excellent free cover disc from BBC Music magazine this month. Seems like a reissued Analekta release from the turn of the century used on licence. Bach Orchestral Suites Nos 1 and 3. Telemann Suite "La Bourse". Performers : Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra directed by Jeanne Lamon.

He Didn't Like The Flute

Two Mozart concertos for this month's free BBC Music cover disc. Violin Concerto No 5 "Turkish" Performers BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Garry Walker. Jennifer Pike violin. Flute and Harp Concerto in C Performers BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Thierry Fischer. Emily Beynon flute, Catherine Beynon harp.